Demountable coupling



Feb. M, i939. H. MERWIN DEMOUNTABLE COUPLING Filed Jan. 30, 1957 //m/m/r H, H. ,www arg WAM. AWO/:WH

Patented Feb. 14, 1939 "NTITED STATES :Ar-ENT cri-lcs DEMGUNTABLE COUIPIIlNG Application January 30, 1937, Serial No. 123:214

-1 Claim.

This invention relates to demountable couplings, and more particularly to such couplings for joining machine elements.

The invention has been found particularly useful in mounting flyer units in the frames .of strand twisting machines of the general type disclosed in the l-I. vI-I. C. Grondahl Patent No. .1,263,405 of April 23, 1918. It is desirable in such machines, as well as those in which the twisted strand is taken up on a flyer unit, that the unit be readily coupled to or uncoupled from its driving shaft and removed from .the machine Without requiring motion of the shaft and without disturbing adjacent mechanism .of the machine.

An object of this invention is to provide a sim.- ple, practical and efficient demountable couplingr for coupling and uncoupling machine elements.

In accordance with the above object, the invention in one embodiment thereof, as .applied to a machine of the aforementioned type, contemplates a demountable coupling in which .adjacent ends of the flyer unit and its driving shaft terminate in heads having diametral grooves in their opposed faces. Between the grooved faces of the heads are a plurality of abutting plates having radially extending keys projecting from their exterior faces which slidably fit the grooves of the heads on the flyer and its driving shaft, each set of cooperating grooves and keys being angularly disposed. The heads and plates are axially bored for the passage of strand and after assembly the plates are interbolted.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is an elevational View of a demountable coupling embodying the features of the invention shown applied to a flyer of a strand twisting machine, the yer being shown diagrammatically;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan section of the coupling taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing the invention is shown as applied to a strand twisting machine, such as is used in the manufacture oil telephone cable. Since the twisting machine is of a well known type, such as is disclosed in the aforementioned patent, as` well as those machines in which the twisted strand is taken up on a flyer unit, and forms no part of this invention, the machine has been illustrated diagrammatically, since the details thereof are not necessary to a full understanding of the present application of the invention. Referring to the drawing, Aa flyer unit is indicated diagrammatically in .broken .outline at |13 (Fig.A 1). At yits upper and lower ends .the 'yer unit terminates in spindlesv I'I and '|L2, respectively, the upper spindle -|'I being coupled to a driving shaft' `I3 journaled in a 'bearing fragmentari'ly indicated at I4 and the flower spindle I2 is journaled in a split bearing I5.

In order that the flyer .unit 'I0 may .be readily mounted on or removed from the twisting machine for replacement or repairs without dismantling or disturbing adjacent mechanism of the machine a demountable coupling indicated generally 'by the numeral I6 is provided whereby 4the upper spindle I I of the flyer unit may be coupled or uncoupled from the driving shaft vI3 without any motion of vthe shaft, particularly in a longitudinal direction. Similarly, the flyer unit "Ill ,may be 'freed at its lower end 4from the split 'bearing I5 'by detaching a removable section Il of the bearing in a well known manner. No longitudinal motion of the flyer unit is .necessary while coupling Aor uncoupling it to the driving shaft |3.

VThe demountable coupling I6 comprises a pair of shouldered collars or heads I8 and I 9 which are keyed or otherwise suitably fixed to the driving shaft I3 and the upper spindle of the flyer unit IU, respectively. 'Ihe opposed larger outer faces of the heads I8 and I9 are predeterminedly spaced from each other in axial alignment and each has formed therein diametral grooves or key slots 20 and 2|, respectively. Fitted in the space between and abutting the opposed outer faces of the headsy I8 and I9 are a pair of annular abutting plates 21| and 25 each having integral with its. outer face a pair of diametral lugs or keys 26 and 21, respectively. The keys 26 and 2l are so arranged on the plates 24 and 25, respectively, and of such dimensions that they closely t in the slots 20 and 2| of the heads I3 and I9, respectively, so that each head and its associated place comprising a set may be locked together for rotary motion. 'I'he t of the keys 26 and 2l in the slots 20 and 2|, respectively, is such that each of the plates 24 and 25 may be freely slid laterally into operative position, the keys 2l of the plate 25 being rst aligned with the slots 2| of the head I9 and then slid into locking engagement. Thereafter, the plate 24 with the keys 2B thereof aligned with the slots 20 of the head I8 may be slid laterally on the plate 25 into operative position, the keys 26 being entered in the slots 20.

The plates 24 and 25 are larger in diameter thanthe larger portions of the heads I8 and I9 and are connected together by a plurality of bolts 28. Before the head and plate sets are connected together by the bolts 28 to complete the coupling operation, in order that the head and plate sets xed respectively to the driving shaft I3 and the upper spindle I I of the flyer unit I0 may be rotated as a unit, one set is rotated relative to the other to position the slots and keys thereof at right angles to the slots and keys of the other set whereby the cooperating slots and keys are equally spaced about the axis of rotation of the driving shaft I3 and the'flyer unit I0. The right angular disposition of the slots and keys Vof the head and plate sets when assembled, it will be noted, serves to lock the bolted plates 24 and 25 individually or as a unit from movement relative i to the heads I8 and I9 until the bolts 28 are removed. In the particular application of the invention to a strand twisting machine the head I8 and its driving shaft I3 together with the upper spindle II ofthe iyer unit I0 and the plates 24 and 25 are all axially bored, as indicated at 30, 3| and 32, respectively (Figs. l and 3), for the passage of strand (not shown) to the flyer unit I0 in the operation of the machine.

When it is desired to disconnect and remove the flyer unit I0 from the twisting machine, it is merely necessary to disconnect the plates 24 and 25 from each other by removing the bolts 28 whereupon the abutting plates may be freely slid from locking engagement with the heads I8 and I9, thus disconnecting the driving shaft I3 from the upper spindle II of the flyer unit.- To completely free the flyer unit for removal from the machine the removable section II of the split bearing I5 for the lower spindle II is removed. The flyer unit I0 thus uncoupled from the machine may be removed therefrom without requiring longitudinal motion of the driving shaft I3, the unit, or the spindles II and I2.

From the above description of the improved demountable coupling and one applicationfthereof, it will be seen that a simple, practical, and efficient demountable coupling for machine elements is provided whereby a machine element may be readily mounted in operative position, or removed for replacement or repairs from a machine without requiring motion of the elements to which it is connected, and Without longitudinal movement of the element being mounted on, or removed from the machine.

Although the invention herein described and illustrated is particularly well adapted for use in strand twisting machines, it will be understood that the invention is capable of other embodiments and many applications and is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claim.

In the preferred form of the invention shown, each of the annular plates 24 and 25 is transversely split into two parts along the plane 33 orv 34 respectively, which renders it possible to disconnect the yer unit from the driving shaft by removing the plates 24 and 25 or either of them even when the flyer is threaded with strands, without first removing or cutting the strand. This is apdesirable and useful feature in an apparatus comprising several flyers where it may be desired at times to have one of the flyers stationary while an associated flyer is rotating. However, where this feature is not essential, each of the annular plates 24 and 25 may be made integral throughout.

What is claimed is:

In a demountable coupling for joining machine elements, heads connected to adjacent ends of axially bored coaxial machine elements, said heads having aligned spaced outer end faces with diametral keyways therein, a pair of trans versely split plates of larger diameter than the` 

